Imagine waking up without pain in your shoulder or knee. Imagine this after months or even years of suffering. And what if you could find relief without needing surgery? Shockwave therapy offers just that. It's a non-invasive answer for those with long-term pain. In this article, we share the top 5 reasons why shockwave therapy might be the help you need.
Shockwave therapy is now a leading treatment for ongoing shoulder and knee pain. It uses powerful sound waves to kickstart healing in your body. This means less inflammation and more repairing of your tissues. We'll cover 5 big reasons why you should look into shockwave therapy near you for your knee osteoarthritis, patellar tendinitis, frozen shoulder, rotator cuff syndrome, plantar fasciitis and more.
Key Takeaways:
- Shockwave therapy is a non-invasive therapy and solution for chronic shoulder and knee pain, especially for those patients who are looking to avoid surgery.
- Extracorporeal shock wave therapy (ESWT) stimulates the body's natural healing process.
- Shockwave therapy can help reduce inflammation, increase blood flow and promote tissue regeneration. These are 3 keys to recovery from conditions such as frozen shoulder, knee osteoarthritis and plantar fasciitis.
- Finding a reputable shockwave therapy provider in your Kingwood and north Houston areas is crucial. Go see a reputable provider, the two main companies for shockwave therapy are StemWave and Softwave; these are the Mercedes Benz of ESWT therapy machines.
- Shockwave therapy can be an effective treatment for conditions like rotator cuff injuries, shoulder tendinitis, knee osteoarthritis, Sciatica, chronic tendonitis, meniscus tears, and plantar fascia inflammation.
Shockwave Therapy: A Non-Invasive Solution for Chronic Pain
Shockwave therapy uses high-energy sound waves to help your body heal. It's known as extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) or acoustic sound wave therapy. These waves are focused specifically on the site of injury like the knee joint, rotator cuff, elbow or wrist. They help heal your body by reducing swelling, increasing blood, and regenerating damaged tissues. This method doesn't need surgery or any medication. It's a safe way for people who have ongoing pain in their shoulders or knees to find relief naturally.
Understanding the Science Behind Shockwave Therapy
The idea behind shockwave therapy is simple, powerful sound waves start a series of natural healing processes in your body, that are currently not activated. This leads to new tissue growing, less swelling and reduced pain. When the waves hit the spot of injury, they cause tiny changes that kickstart healing, it helps bring blood flow, oxygen and other healing cells in to the area. Anyone who has a chronic injury or arthritis to the knee, foot, elbow or shoulder can benefit from shockwave therapy.
Eliminating the Need for Invasive Procedures
Shockwave therapy is not invasive, unlike surgery. The benefits this sound wave therapy is little to no down time and very little side effects. For knee and shoulder surgeries the patient could be down and out for 6-8 week or 6-8 months depending on the procedure. The actual shockwave gets passed from a therapeutic head, through ultrasound gel and penetrate deep into the muscles and joints that are injured. So, for people wanting a safe option, looking for 'shockwave therapy near me' could be just what you are looking for. Look for clinics in your area that offer this type of alternative therapy and start getting the pain relief you need today.
Shockwave Therapy Near Me: Finding a Reputable Provider
When looking for shockwave therapy for chronic pain, finding a good provider is key. You can locate shockwave therapy clinics by searching google for "shockwave therapy near me" or "extracorporeal shock wave therapy clinics." Look for places with skilled and certified staff for the best care in the Kingwood and north Houston area.
It's important to check out shockwave treatment providers before choosing one. Read reviews and see if they have done well with other patients. Aim to find specialists in focused shockwave therapy facilities and acoustic wave therapy for injuries. The focused shockwave therapy is what Hamel Chiropractic and Wellness Kingwood uses; this is the best for musculoskeletal conditions and extremity injuries. An experienced provider will let you know the protocol to get you from feeling miserable and in pain to more active, pain free and enjoying life again.
Choosing the right shockwave therapy provider is important, you want to go to an experienced practitioner. Shockwave therapy is not very popular but it is very effective at eliminating pain, inflammation and getting you moving better again. This leads to great results for shock wave therapy for plantar fasciitis, impingement syndrome, carpal tunnel syndrome or knee arthritis. The sky is the limit for healing and repair for shockwave therapy; besides extremity conditions it is shown to work well with Sciatica, neck pain and lower back pain.
Tackling Shoulder Pain with Shockwave Therapy
Shockwave therapy works well for many shoulder issues, the shoulder is very complicated with all of the rotator cuff tendons, multiple joints and the labrum. It gives hope to those with chronic pain, frozen shoulder and those having a hard time reaching, lifting or throwing with their arm. This treatment sends strong sound waves to the areas with the most injury and inflammation. This therapy accelerates the healing process, it brings in healing cells and oxygen to the areas that really need it to help repair damaged tissue and cartilage.
Relieving Rotator Cuff Injuries
Shockwave therapy is great for rotator cuff issues like impingement syndrome, tendinitis, rotator cuff tears and frozen shoulder. Reducing inflammation and improving blood flow are two keys to help heal rotator cuff injuries. The treatment's focused waves actually recruit local stem cells in the area which help to speed up healing. With natural healing and repair often times patients don't end up needing surgery; this is one of the main goals of shockwave therapy.
Treating Shoulder Tendinitis and Bursitis
If you have shoulder tendinitis or bursitis, this therapy can help, remember that joints and tissues cannot heal if there is chronic inflammation in an area. Even a slight reduction in inflammation can allow the rotator cuff muscles to turn back on which allows them to strengthen and stabilize the shoulder joint.
Conquering Knee Pain with Shockwave Therapy
Shockwave therapy is good for knee problems like chronic pain and arthritis. It uses sound waves to penetrate deep into the joint, ligaments and tendons surrounding the knee. This helps decrease swelling, boost blood flow and bring oxygen directly to the injured area. Often times even after a few shockwave therapy sessions on the knee; patients can feel improved movement and function.
Alleviating Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome
Runner's knee or patellar tendinitis makes the front of the kneecap hurt, it gives pain when running and going up and down stairs. Shockwave therapy can help reduce the inflammation and tendonitis which helps heal runner's knee. Until this tendinitis has decreased it is really difficult to experience benefits from exercise, chiropractic care or physical therapy.
Addressing Knee Osteoarthritis
Knee arthritis can be very painful and hard to live with, osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis in Houstonians over the age of 50; about 15% of the population has this chronic condition. Shockwave therapy is a way to help heal and repair the area without surgery or cortisone shots. It targets the painful parts of the knee like the knee joint line, the cartilage, the patellar tendon and the ligaments surrounding the knee. Many people love shockwave therapy because they can avoid surgery and often times get back to being active playing pickleball, golf, tennis going to the gym or walking their dog.
The Benefits of Shockwave Therapy: Fast Recovery and Minimal Downtime
Shockwave therapy helps people get better quickly and with very little time off. It's not like surgery, so patients don't need a long time to recover. Thanks to this therapy, pain goes down fast and healing speeds up. This means people can go back to their normal life soon after the treatment. It takes about 6-8 weeks of reducing inflammation and swelling to get our patients active and healthy again to do their normal daily activities says Dr. Hamel of Hamel Chiropractic and Wellness Kingwood, a top-rated shockwave therapy provider who sees patients from all over Houston.
Accelerated Healing and Reduced Pain
Shockwave therapy uses special sound waves that cause the injured areas to heal itself faster, this is unlike any other therapy, the healing capabilities of this therapy are amazing. The therapy helps to fix torn tissues which in turn helps to strengthen muscles and support joints. It's a newest non-surgical way, alternative healing therapy available today, anyone can get it done, the sessions are short and the results are amazing. Avoiding surgery, most patients do not want to get knee replacement or shoulder surgery because the recovery time take months. Often times we see cases of osteoarthritis, says Dr. Hamel, turn around fairly quickly so that the patient can be active with little to no pain, this may prevent surgery completely or at least hold it off for some years.
Minimal Side Effects and Quick Return to Daily Activities
Most people do really well with shockwave therapy and can feel a noticeable difference even after their first treatment. Besides a little bit of soreness, the patient does not have bad side effects. Because it's gentle, people can go back to their usual habits not long after the treatment. This means it doesn't slow them down much and they can keep living and active lifestyle. There are cases of serious injuries, says Dr. Hamel, that patients may take longer than 6-8 weeks to fully recover, some take 6-8 months or longer because they also need some serious rehabilitation to go along with their shockwave therapy treatments.
FAQ
What is shockwave therapy and how does it work?
Shockwave therapy uses sound waves to help the body heal. It is called ESWT or acoustic wave therapy. These waves go to the injured area through a therapeutic wand and ultrasound gel. They help the body heal by reducing swelling, increasing blood flow, repair damaged or injured tissues. Shockwave therapy does three things that no other treatment can do naturally, 1. Significantly reduce inflammation, 2. Bring blood and oxygen into the area, and 3. Recruit stem cells in the area to further accelerate healing and repair.
How does shockwave therapy differ from traditional surgical treatments?
Shockwave therapy is not surgery, no scalpel, no injections and no medicine. So, people heal faster and can get back to their normal activities and hobbies quickly. With shockwave therapy all you need to do is come in and lay down on the table; the ultrasound gel and shockwave therapy head will go right on the skin so clothing has to be out of the way of the shoulder or knee. The patient does not need any anesthesia, they are fully awake and able to feel the soundwaves penetrate into their knee, shoulder, wrist or other injured area. The downtime for this therapy is none, a patient leaves the office and they are able to drive, walk, and do their daily activities as long as they are not re-injuring the area or irritating their injury.
How do I find a reputable shockwave therapy provider near me?
To find a good shockwave therapy office, search online through google, Bing, Facebook, Healthgrades, or Zocdoc. Look for "shockwave therapy near me" or "extracorporeal shock wave therapy providers". If you look up the manufacturer StemWave, they should have a list of providers in your area. Also looking at social media like YouTube and Instagram you can find videos of local providers using shockwave therapy on their patients; you can see exactly what a session looks like.
Are there any contraindications to shockwave therapy?
Shockwave therapy has very few contraindications. We do not recommend getting shockwave therapy if: you are pregnant, you have cancer or a tumor, you have a skin infection, you have a bleeding disorder, if you have had a cortisone shot within 30 days and if you are under age 16. Being under age 16 patients can still get shockwave therapy but the waves will penetrate only into the muscles and not into the joints because with the age patients their growth plates still have not closed.
What is the success rate of shockwave therapy for chronic knee pain?
Shockwave therapy is very good for knee pains, such as chronic pain and arthritis. The strong sound waves penetrate the area, get rid of inflammation and allow healing to begin. We are having amazing results with our knee pain patients, says Dr. Hamel, over 75% of patients with knee pain and arthritis are seeing positive results in terms of pain relief, swelling and overall mobility of their knee.
Will the therapy be painful and how many sessions will I need?
The great thing about shockwave therapy is that it is non-invasive. That being said the soundwaves that penetrate deep into the injured area cause a healing effect; so, in a way the wave irritates the area to promote healing. During the shockwave therapy treatment, the areas of with more injured tissue and inflammation will be more sensitive, so as the patient you are going to feel some discomfort. This discomfort, says Dr. Hamel, is an important part of the therapy, this helps us determine which areas have the most inflammation and we can see how this changes from session to session.
What is the cost of shockwave therapy?
The average cost for a shockwave therapy session in the Houston area is $125. At Hamel Chiropractic and Wellness, they give a special offer of $79 for the initial visit and treatment to see if it is a good fit for the patient. Dr. Hamel says we can't tell exactly how many treatments a patient will need until they come in. Each patient comes in with a unique medical history, what kind of injury they have, how long have they had it, what therapy or interventions have they tried, how old the patient it, do they have pre-existing conditions like diabetes or an auto-immune condition. We need the full history as well as the patients’ expectations on completion of a shockwave therapy protocol. Some patients just want to be out of pain, they are not too active and just want to be able to relax and do minimal activities. Other patients are very active and they miss being able to garden, play with their kids, golf, go to the gym or play pickleball; for these patients they need more time and more sessions to get there.
